1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to electronic publishing systems and methods of operation. More particularly, the invention relates to an electronic publishing system and method of operation for generating web pages personalized to a user's optimum learning mode.
2. Description of Prior Art
A problem in the worldwide web is the presentation of information to users to maximize the viewer's absorption of the information. Howard Gardner has proposed in his publication “Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligence”, Basic Books, 1983 that there are seven distinct types of intelligence that a user may possess. These intelligences include visual/spatial, logical/mathematical, linguistic/verbal, interpersonal, intrapersonal, kinesthetic/body, musical/rhythmic. Viewer absorption of information would be maximized if correlated to the viewer's intelligence(s). Dr. Charles B. Shearer of Kent State University, Kent Ohio has proposed a self-reflective profile tool “Multiple Intelligence Developmental Assessment Scales (Midas)” as a basis of inferring a person's more dominant intelligence and less dominant intelligence, as based on Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory. Implementing the theories of Gardner and Shearer in the generation of web pages should enhance the value of the web to users.
Prior art related to generating web pages includes the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,875 entitled “Method and System for Automatic Formatting of User Selected Text”, issued Apr. 15, 1997, discloses a method and system for automatic formatting of user selected text in a word processing system. A number of format options are displayed to the user in a text format selection is then obtained from the user for a selected format option. An identifier identifying the selected text format is stored in text format data structure. The user thereafter selects one or more portions of existing text. For each selected portion of existing text, the selected portion is formatted with the text format identified by the identifier stored in the data structure. These steps are repeated until canceled by the user or until the user enters a new text.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,073 entitled “Style Sheets for Publishing System” issued Jan. 12, 1999 discloses the use of style sheets in an electronic publishing system. A style sheet is a collection of formatting information, such as font and tabs in a textual document. The style sheets are applied to individual display regions (controls) on a page. The display regions do not contain any text at the time the style sheet is applied. Rather, the text or other media, such as graphics is poured into the display region when the title is rendered on the customer's computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,975 entitled “Style Sheets for Speech-Based Representation of Web Pages”, issued May 4, 1999, discloses the presentation of audio information, particularly audio information generated by a voice synthesizer from text using a text or screen reader as controlled using a style sheet. The style sheet permits default presentation styles, such as voice-family, voice-pitch, voice-variant, voice speed and volume to be set, and then varied based on embedded text presentation commands such as those found in hypertext markup language and in desktop publishing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,714 entitled “Method & System for Dynamically Adapting the Layout of a Document to an Output Device”, issued Feb. 8, 2000, discloses dynamically adapting a layout of a document to a particular output device. The layout of a document can be adapted to a particular output device so that the document fully utilizes the capability of the output device. The layout generator interrogates the output device to determine the capabilities of the output device. Based upon the capabilities of the output device, the layout generator selects a style sheet to accommodate the particular output device. The style sheet assigns values to format properties such as font properties, color and background properties, and text properties. The layout of the document is adapted to a particular output device by rendering the document on the output device using the values supplied in the style sheet.
None of the prior art solves the problem of adapting web pages to a user's optimum mode of learning based on the theories of Gardner and Shearer.